We are now five weeks away from the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. This year's All-Star festivities will take place at Nationals Park from June 15-17. That includes the Futures Game, the Home Run Derby, and the All-Star Game itself.
Fan voting for the All-Star Game starters opened two weeks ago, and, on Monday afternoon, Major League Baseball released the first voting update for National League players. The first American League update is coming Tuesday. Here are the current NL vote totals:
Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman leads all NL players with 633,342 votes and has a comfortable lead over second place Nolan Arenado. The Rockies third baseman has received 527,683 votes so far.
Freeman's teammates Ozzie Albies and Nick Markakis are both in line to start the All-Star Game at the moment. It would be the first All-Star Game selection for Markakis, who is currently in his 13th MLB season. Not counting players who played before the first All-Star Game in 1993, Markakis currently ranks second all-time in hits among players who never made an All-Star Game.
The closest races are at second base and catcher. Albies has a slim 38,509 vote lead over Javier Baez at second base while Buster Posey has a 21,904 vote lead over Willson Contreras. Charlie Blackmon is within shouting distance of Matt Kemp for the third outfield spot.
As a reminder, the All-Star Game uses the DH full-time now, and Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts will select the NL's DH. Fans don't vote on it.
Here is the All-Star Game ballot and here are Matt Snyder's American League and National League All-Star Game picks.
